Ms Peterson & Penny
by thelinksthatconnectus
Summary: Ms. Peterson changed the world for both humans and cats alike with her groundbreaking discoveries. A true seeker of knowledge, she has always gone forward and discovered the impossible. However, despite everything that she has done, she is most proud of being a parent. Role reversal AU ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

The cry came out of nowhere, unexpected and surely unwanted. It stopped Ms. Peterson right in her tracks, made the cat turn and look. This was out of the ordinary, so different from just that the average walk outside that she had expected; the rain could have been accounted for, but not this.

With slow, careful steps, she walked between the two buildings, holding her umbrella tightly. The cry seemed to be coming from a cardboard box, and that could not have meant anything good.

Her black paw shook as she reached out and opened the top of the cardboard box. Her heart raced, and the sound of the rain rang in her ears.

* * *

Later on, she would call the moment one of the best moments of her life. Her voice would brighten, and a look of nostalgia would pass through her eyes.

"This was when I made my greatest discovery," she would say, waving her paw in the air as she spoke. She would turn to her daughter, who would turn pink with embarrassment. Still, the girl would be happy none the less. "That was the day that I discovered my daughter."

Her words would be one hundred percent true. Though she may have made many amazing discoveries, which benefited both human and cat alike, she would never put them above Penny.

"I am so happy that I found that box." She would frown and look away from whoever she was speaking to. For a moment, all would be silent. "I don't know what would have happened to her if I hadn't, and I despise whoever left her, even if I have never met them. In fact, I hope that I do not."

* * *

The small piece of duck tape on the faded purple blanket read "Penny".

"What a pretty name," she commented, reaching down and running her paw through the small girl's blond hair.

The baby's crying had stopped, and she reached up her small arms and tried to reach out towards the cat.

Ms. Peterson chuckled. She reached out and picked up the child, pulling her close to her chest. "We shouldn't stay here, Penny; this isn't a nice place."

The girl gave no protest, only leaning in further to her. By the time that Ms. Peterson had returned to her home, Penny had fallen fast asleep, and hadn't woken again until hours later.

* * *

Ms. Peterson was no stranger to court cases; she had studied them, along with many other things, long and hard. When she went in, she walked past the press with pride. They could take all the pictures that they wanted; their flashes would never bother her. All that Ms. Peterson needed was to prove that she was a capable parent - which she most certainly was.

The judge, an elderly looking black woman wearing glasses, looked down to her. The plague on her stand read "Anne B. Willson". "We are here for the case of Ms. Peterson vs. The City of New York. This case, a most unusual and unexpected one, yet one that must be dealt with anyway, is rather important. I know that we have attracted many individuals, but I must remind everyone that despite all the press that this is getting, we are still in a court of law. If anyone dares to try and interrupt this then they will immediately be dealt with by security." Her eyes turned to Ms. Peterson. "I assume that you understand exactly what is going on."

Ms. Peterson straightened her blue tie, then cleared her throat. "Of course, your honor. I need nothing cleared to me; before I came, I made sure to do a quick refresher on the court of law. Knowing your esteemed rank as a public official, I am sure that you too also understand what is going on, and how this will surely effect the future of laws. I am proud today to say that I will help make history - not that I haven't done it before."

Anne sighed. "Please, do not go on any tangents. What matters is what we must get done, and I am sure that you would love for this all to be over quickly." A small smile crossed her lips. "Surely you want to get back to your daughter."

Ms. Peterson nodded. "Yes, I most certainly do."

Anne held up a stack of papers, then pushed her glasses up her nose. "Today, we will be deciding on a question that most never would have even thought to ask. Many young girls have cats throughout their life, but never has a cat had a girl, at least not until now. Ms. Peterson, our cat in question, wants to adopt the young Penny. Her last name is not known, and we have had trouble finding her biological parents." She continued to speak, recounting everything, all of which Ms. Peterson already knew; still, everything had to be said. When she finished, she looked back to the cat. "I presume that you are ready to be a parent."

"Of course, your honor," she responded. "There is nothing that would make me happier."

"And you are certain that you can handle the responsibility, the struggle of raising a child?"

"There is not a single doubt inside of me that I can do this." She smiled. "How hard can it be?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Well," she said, looking back to her papers, "this case has been decided. If a girl can have a cat, then certainly a girl can also have a cat." She banged her gavel. "This case is closed." Anne looked back to Ms. Peterson, and she again smiled. "You have been approved to be a parent."

Ms. Peterson held Penny in her arms, grinning for the cameras, though she hardly noticed them.

"Mommy," Penny said, reaching out a hand towards her.

"Oh no," she said. "You shall call me Ms. Peterson, or in more affectionate terms, only Peterson."

"Mo-Peterson," the baby spoke.

She smiled. "Yes, Mo-Peterson."

It was as wonderful of a name as any.

* * *

Emily Dickenson, Maya Angelou, and Cornelia Funke were all wonderful authors, and grew to be some of Ms. Peterson's favorite authors to read to Penny before bed. Of course, Plato, Shakespeare, and Huxley were wonderful as well.

Children could be good for discovery as well. Penny was always curious, ever ready to learn more about history and science. She also showed skill with arts and design, especially towards designing clothing. Her tastes ranged everywhere, and yet she always found herself able to make something pleasing to the eye. Her sculptures and paintings were also wonderful, and tended to make many step back and take another look; they were works that they would never forget.

Everyone seemed to love them. Van Gogh had been pleased with his tribute, and Frida Kahlo said that she had never seen a more beautiful drawing of herself.

"She looks exactly like me," Kahlo had said, holding up the painting. "You never tried to change it or spare any details. Truly, I will cherish this."

She also questioned things upon making new discoveries. Why did children need to learn about the importance of not lying from myths? George Washington cutting down the cherry tree was a lie itself, no matter how well intentioned.

And it was through Penny that Ms. Peterson made her most amazing invention, and one thing that she was sure she never would have made were it not for the help of her daughter: The WABAC.

**I adored MPaS and wanted to make a fic for it. This idea came to me and wouldn't let me not write it. I imagine Ms. Peterson as being a black cat who wears a blue tie. Though she is different in appearance to Mr. Peabody, they are similar.**

**Sherman should come in either the next chapter or the one after that.**


	2. Chapter 2

Penny pulled at the white fabric of her shirt. "Ms. Peterson, I look awful!" Beneath that was a simple black skirt. "How come you get to dress fancy?"

Ms. Peterson sighed. She was dressed to the nines in a light blue dress with a puffy skirt; she looked ready for a party. "I told you, Penny, it's not what you wear, but what you learn."

Penny rolled her eyes. "That's easy for you to say; you're the one who gets to wear that nice dress." She folded her arms over her chest. "I get to dress like I'm just some random baker. People will probably boss me around and ask where their food is."

"This will be fun; I promise." She placed her paw on Penny's shoulder. "You'll learn a lot, and you'll never forget what happened here. Besides, there will be cake."

Penny's eyes widened. "Cake? It took you this long to mention that there would be cake?" She licked her lips.

She chuckled. "It slipped my mind while we were driving here." She straightened her back, her blue eyes directly meeting with Penny's own. She pointed a claw straight at her. "I need you to promise to stay close to me, alright? It's very important."

Penny nodded. "Of course, Ms. Peterson. What would make you think that I wouldn't?"

"I was just reminding you."

The two continued their walk through the French area. Large trees dotted the area, and the night was clear. A full moon hung in the sky, lighting their path.

"Hey," Penny said, "I'm not getting any cell reception here." She shook her phone. "How am I supposed to know if my app downloaded?"

"Penny, I've told you a million times that you won't get any cell phone reception when we use time travel because cell phones do not exist at this time!" Ms. Peterson threw her hands into the air.

Penny pouted. "It was an important app. It'll probably take an hour to download again."

"Penny, I don't believe that will be as big of an issue as you think it is." She pointed forward. "I can see lights!" She picked up her skirt, then began to run. "Let's hurry, Penny! By now the party should be in full swing."

Penny picked up her pace, racing after her mother. "I can see the light too!"

"This is a very enlightening experience for each of us!"

Penny laughed, then stopped right in her tracks. "I don't get it." Just as quickly as she spoke, she raced forward again. There was going to be cake, and she didn't want to get there when it had all been eaten.

"Woah!" Penny said. She stopped right in her tracks, looking up to the house, mansion, palace thing. There just wasn't a right word to describe it. "This is the biggest house that I've ever seen, Ms. Peterson!"

"It's going to be even bigger on the inside! I hope that no one minds that we are fashionably late."

Once they got to the large doors, a few guards greeted them. With only one look at Ms. Peterson, they let her in.

"Hello, madam," a guard said. "We have been expecting you. The queen will be quite pleased when she finds out that you have arrived."

"Why thank you," Ms. Peterson responded.

The guards hardly even gave Penny a passing glance.

"You weren't kidding." Penny's jaw nearly hit the floor; how could the ginormous house somehow feel even bigger? It was unreal.

"I told you that it would be amazing." Ms. Peterson smiled, then walked forward. More than a few eyes crossed over her, and she stopped and chatted with a few people. Like every other time in history, Ms. Peterson seemed to know and have connections with other people. Penny grabbed herself a slice of cake and happily stood to the side.

The cake was vanilla with matching frosting. On the top was a large strawberry and pure white whipped cream. By the time she had finished, there wasn't even a crumb on her plate, and she was going back for seconds.

She matched gazes with Ms. Peterson for a moment, who gave her a quick smile. Penny returned it, though she hoped that her feline companion didn't mind that she had whipped cream on the side of her lips.

The other party guests were certainly dressed elegantly. Penny couldn't help but look with envy at the other guests, both women and men. They were dressed sharply, with beautiful, brightly colored dresses and fancy shirts and breeches. They certainly knew fashion. Again, Penny's eyes wondered back to the simple, far from elagant clothes that Ms. Peterson insisted on her wearing. Why did Ms. Peterson insist on this? All it did was make Penny stick out like a sore thumb and give others an excuse to ignore her.

Well, she thought, at least I have this cake.

The roar of the party hung in her ears. Everyone seemed happy, and she supposed that she could be content enough. This certainly was good cake. There were more flavors as well; more than Penny could possibly count. Marie Antoinette certainly had a good taste in food; Penny would give her kudos for that.

Once she had finished her second slice of cake, she went and got another slice. This time, she got chocolate cake topped with vannila frosting and broken up pieces of chocolate. Her mouth watered at the sight, and it tasted even better than it looked.

Penny had expected this to be more of a dance type of party, though everyone seemed to just be standing around at chatting, not that she minded.

Well, Penny said, if I learned anything, it's that people sure had it nice here. I wouldn't mind living here; I bet I could have all of this wonderful cake every day.

"Cake!" shouted a woman, probably Marie, as she looked towards the cakes. "Oh, they look wonderful! Someone get me a plate!"

Bakers were coming out of the kitchen with trays in tow, tall cakes stacked on top of them. They had frosting of every color, and each one looked better than the last.

"Let them eat cake!" Marie called, holding out her hands. "Everyone is having a good time, so let's make the night even better!"

* * *

Ms. Peterson had expected to see her daughter standing by the cake table. However, she didn't see her anywhere near there. She continued to look around, trying to keep herself calm. Perhaps she had just gone to stand in a corner and eat her cake in silence and peace; that was a normal thing for her to do. This may be a social gathering, but these certainly were not the people that the girl usually talked to.

"Penny," she called, forcing herself to keep the fear out of her voice. "Penny?"

There was no response.

She picked up her skirt, then walked forward. "Penny? Penny?"

If there was a response, she couldn't hear it over the chatter of the other party guests.

"Penny, we really should get going!"

Only a moment after she finished speaking that, a torch flew through the window, knocking over a cake. A few ladies shrieked. From the outside, Ms. Peterson could hear cries of the hungry begging for bread, and with that a revolution.

"Penny?" No longer bothering with what anyone thought, she began to run. She may have looked far from lady like, but right now she had bigger things to handle. "Penny? Penny?" Ms. Peterson was yelling her name.

She ran past a baker and into the kitchen. Oh, where could she be?

"Hey, Ms. Peterson," Penny said, waving at her with a messy fork. Her lips and cheeks were covered in frosting, and a bit was even on the tip of her nose. "There's even more cake! Isn't that great? You should try some; it's amazing!"

"Penny, now is certainly not the time for that!" She clenched her paws together. "Do you remember what I told you earlier in the WABAC?"

"You mean about why Marie wore a wig?"

Ms. Peterson shook her head. "No, about why you should stay close to me."

"Didn't you say that something was going to tear? Or was it that you said that there would be rain?" She shrugged. "I can't remember." She took another large bite out of her cake.

"No, I said that there would be a reign of terror!"

Right after she finished speaking, the door was knocked in. Penny screamed.

* * *

Everyone just thought that she was a baker; the French people hardly gave her a second glance before dragging Ms. Peterson away. Later, the people were in high spirits, passing out bread to one another. Penny got a piece; it nearly stuck in her throat.

Today, she knew, was not going to be as good of a day as they thought it would be.

She pushed past the others in the crowd, panting as she ran. "Ms. Peterson! Ms. Peterson!"

"Penny!" she responded.

"Ms. Peterson, you have to-"

"Don't worry about me, Penny! Just stay right where you are!"

"But, Ms. Peterson!"

"Everyone," a man interrupted. The crowd stopped their excited yelling, looking up at him. "These selfish pigs could not share us even a slice of bread. Today, they will pay for their gluttony - with their lives. We have gathered a number of aristocrats, and we will make sure that they pay for their crimes."

Penny's heart raced. No, they couldn't do this! Ms. Peterson wasn't bad; she wasn't even from this time!

Penny's heart nearly stopped when she saw that she was the first brought up to be executed.

"Everyone," the man spoke, "let's get ready. Heads are going to roll!"

* * *

"It was quite simple, really," Ms. Peterson commented. She had her sword at her side; her dress was slightly ripped. "I just had to use some quick thinking to get myself out of there; I made sure to save my head."

Penny laughed. "Wait, I don't get it."

Ms. Peterson shook her head. "It's nothing that you should be worrying about, dear."

However, it seemed that their worries were far from over. A few of the French revolutionaries had caught up with them.

"Penny," Ms. Peterson commented, "this is going to stink."

"What?" she responded.

Ms. Peterson threw her sword.

The revolutionary pulled away from her. "You missed!"

She smirked. "I never miss."

The sword had hit wooden boards, and far from sturdy ones at that. A creaking sound began.

"Oh," one of the revolutionaries spoke. "Oh my."

A rush of water - and some things that Ms. Peterson did not want to think about - rushed out.

"Stay with me, Penny!" Ms. Peterson grabbed her by the arm.

* * *

Penny wiped off the front of her shirt. The formerly white shirt was covered in dirt, grass stains, and frosting. "Ms. Peterson, that was incredible!" She pumped her arms in the air. "Everything was awesome!"

"I'm glad that you enjoyed it." She smiled. "So, what did you learn today?"

"That the French make great cakes, and that Marie probably should have made sure that people at least had bread."

"Very good."

"So, where are we going tomorrow?" The day before it had been to see some dinosaurs; that had certainly been fun. "Are we going to see the Romans? Or go see the ancient Aztec civilizations? What about going to the Wild West? That's always sounded like fun."

"We aren't doing any of those things."

"What?" Penny sighed. "Why not?"

"You will be having your own adventure tomorrow."

The WABAC flashed, and then the door opened.

"I am?"

"Don't you remember, Penny? Tomorrow will be your first day of school."


End file.
